Pirates Release German Ship’s Four Crewmembers

BERLIN (AP) — A German shipping company said four crewmembers from one of its vessels have been released a month after being kidnapped by pirates off Equatorial Guinea’s coast.

Leonhardt and Blumberg said the container ship’s crewmembers — including Ukrainian, Russian and Kiribati citizens — are in good spirits, despite having spent 31 days in captivity.

German Federal Police said Hansa Marburg’s sailors were freed May 23 following intense negotiations and have now arrived in Germany.

The shipping company, in a statement, didn’t specify whether a ransom was paid and said it won’t comment on the circumstances of the crewmembers’ release, “in order to avoid encouraging further criminal acts of this kind.”

The ship had been attacked 130 miles southwest of the West African port of Malabo.